Kagome looked up and saw her friend Achika fall
down hard to the ground as Sessho-maru pushed her out
of his way.  Kagome ran forward to see if her friend was
ok.  “Achika are you ok?”  She asked helping her off the
ground.  Achika nodded.  “That jerk, how dare he push us
around like that.  Ya think he thinks he owns us or
something.”  Kagome said glaring at Sessho-maru who
was now fighting with his half brother Inu-Yasha.
     “You bastard!”  Inu-Yasha cried as she swiped at
Sessho-maru with the Tetsusaiga.  Sessho-maru easily
dodged it and cut Inu-Yasha face with his claws.  Inu-
Yasha jumped backwards but was not fast enough to get
away from his elder brothers attack.  Inu-Yasha found
himself face first into the ground.
     Kagome got up and ran over to Inu-Yasha.  “Are
you...”  He pushed her smoothly out of his way and
charged at Sessho-maru.  Sessho-maru jumped out of the
way of the attack.  Kagome went back quickly to were
Achika was  laying down.  She had said she had a slight
headache and Kagome urged her to lie down.  Miroku was
sitting beside Achika when Kagome reached them.
     “Her head is really hot.”  He said looking up at
Kagome with a look of worry on his normally relaxed
features.  Kagome felt Achika’s head and found she was
hot.  Very hot.
     “She running a fever.”  Kagome said finding it a little
odd.  -What’s wrong with you Achika?- She thought to
herself as she wet a cloth from her bag with some
drinking water and laid it on Achika’s forehead.  “Achika
can you hear me.”  Kagome felt Achika squeeze her hand
but she did not say a word.
     “What’s wrong with her?”  Shippo asked.
     “I don’t know.”  Kagome replied.  She looked over at
the taken down Inu-Yasha.  His brother was standing over
him now readying his claws for the final blow.  Gasping,
Kagome jumped up and jumped at Sessho-maru, who was
not ready for the human girl to attack, knocking him off
Inu-Yasha and allowing Inu-Yasha to get the steel
cleaving fang and slice his brother in the leg.
     Sessho-maru, shocked at the outcome fled the scene
with a colorful line of curses coming after him.  Kagome
sighed as she watched Sessho-maru retreat.  Inu-Yasha
walked over to were Kagome took care of the Princess.
 Achika is half a Phoenix demon, she has long brown
hair and violet eyes with a touch of gold with two red
hearts on each cheek.  If she get’s depressed or confused
these hearts will disappear and cause her to become
human but if she get’s pissed and they turn into strips she
will become full demon and kill everyone in her path till
she calms down.  She has a long flowing Phoenix tail that
changed color according how you looked at it.
     Her tail feathers, when plucked out, can be used as
knifes and can be poisonous, however one always grows
back to replaced the one lost.  She has wing’s only when
she want’s them.  Those wing feathers could change into
powerful swords.
     Unlike most half-ling’s she  didn’t have eternal life,
until her soul was taken and incased inside a crystal called
the “Blue Phoenix Aura.”
     The crystal had gone missing three years after it had
been made.  Only one person other then Achika in the
world could touch it and that was the man she was
destined to be with forever.
     Inu-Yasha sat down by Achika and looked over at
Kagome with wonder in his eyes.  Achika had come to
them, and asked of they would show her how life was
outside royalty, she also wanted to assist them in their
search for the Shikon fragments.  Inu-Yasha had grudged
but Kagome made him see reason.  Just like Miroku he
had gotten to used to having her around.
     Kagome looked at him.  She was very worried.
Achika had never done this before and now her hearts
were fading in and out.  Her face was pale and her
forehead was still on fire.  Kagome wiped the dripping
cloth on her head once more before Inu-Yasha picked her
up onto his back and went back to Keade’s village.

      Once in Keade’s village they rushed Achika into
Keade’s home.  They laid her down and Keade inspected
her.  “Well?”  Kagome asked.  Everyone leaned forward
to here the news.
     “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.  There is no
sign of illness and no sign of anything hurt.”  Keade said
wishing that she could be of more help.  Shippo sat down
beside Achika and touch her face lightly.  Her eyes
fluttered open.
     Shippo jumped as he saw Achika sit up quickly.  She
shook her head and put her hand to her forehead.  “What
happened to me?”  She asked in her regal tone of voice.
     “We were kinda hoping you could tell us.”  Miroku
said frowning.
     “Are you ok child?”  Keade asked feeling her head.
    “Your fevers gone I see.”
     “I’m alright but what happened.  The last thing I
remember was Inu-Yasha fighting with his brother.”  She
said patting Shippo on the head.  Shippo smiled up at her.
     “Well we don’t know for sure.  Inu-Yasha was
fighting with his brother then all of sudden Sessho-maru
pushed you out of his way to get to Inu-Yasha and you
suddenly got a high fever and passed out.”  Kagome
explained as best as she could.
     Achika thought back and a look of surprise came over
her face.  “What’s wrong?” Inu-Yasha finally pipped up
noticing Achika squirm a bit.
     “Ahhh....Nothing.  Nothing at all.”  She said laying
back down and staring at that roof.  -was that just a dream.
Or did he really have it?- She asked herself.  She closed
her eyes till everyone had calmed down then went on a
small walk with Kagome and Shippo leaving Miroku and
Inu-Yasha behind.
     “Kagome.  Say if you knew a big secret, but was
afraid if a certain somebody would find out about it you
be in danger but that person who you don’t want knowing
has a right to know.  What would you do?”  Achika asked
looking up into the now, night sky.
     “It would depend on what kind of a secret it was.  If it
was a matter of life and death, of happiness or heartbreak
then I guess I would...gee I don’t know what I would do.”
Kagome answered noticing Achika squirm a little.  “Why
do you ask?”  Kagome asked now very curious on why
Achika wanted to know that.
     “Just a question is all.  I didn’t mean anything by it.”
She answered quickly.
     “Achika tell me what it was like to live in palace with
people tending on you hand and foot.”  Shippo pipped up
excitedly.
     “Well.  It is quite nice if you like that sort of thing.
You must act properly every minute and must never eat
with you hands.  You only speak when spoken to and you
must listen to your elders no matter what.  You are born to
privilege and with that comes specific obligations.  You
can’t do anything you want, you have to do everything
everyone expects of you.  For me it was a life worse then
death.  I wanted to see the world as it was and not for
what it was said to be.  I wanted to experience life to it’s
fullest and as royalty you cannot do that.”  She paused and
looked down at Shippo who was wide eyed at her story.
     “Don’t sound like as much as I thought.”  He said
gloomily.
     “Don’t get me wrong Shippo.  For those who like life
like that it is wonderful.  You cannot judge life in
different ways if you don’t ask more then one person’s
opinion.  That is just mine and the way I think.  Take Inu-
Yasha for example.  You ask him about life as a half
demon and he’d probably say that it stinks.  I however
think that a life as a half demon is one of freedom in a
since that you can understand both half’s of the species.
You ask Sessho-maru, not that you should, what the life
of a full demon is like and he’ll say nothing better but if
you ask another full demon and they might say that they’d
rather be human then anything else in the world.  Do you
understand?”  Achika finished.
     Shippo nodded and they decided that it was getting
late and it was time to head back to the village so they
made there way back over the dark path.  Achika suddenly
fell to the ground and gasped for breath.  She put a hand
to her throat as Kagome and Shippo rushed over.
     Without warning she then gasped in heavily and
coughed trying to catch her breath.  “What’s wrong.
Achika.  Are you OK?”  Kagome asked helping her up.
    “Ya.  Just tripped and lost me breath.”  She lied.  -It
cannot be.  I felt as though I was being straggled.  What is
this.  Could it be that.....no I wont believe it.  It can’t be
that . . . Can it?- Achika thought following Kagome and
Shippo the rest of the way to the village.
 

                                To be continued in
              “A Treasure in the Palm of his Hand Part 2"